Method and apparatus for securing closure caps to containers



Nov. 5, 1968 E. GRECK 3,408,788

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SECURING CLOSURE CAPS TO CONTAINERS Filed July18, 1966 6 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR age/v5 fezck ATTORNEY Nov. 5, 1968 E.GRECK 3,408,788

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SECURING CLOSURE CAPS TO CONTAINERS 6Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 18, 1966 mvsmon Eugen 5 QZECK ATTORNEY NOV. 5,1968 GRECK 3,408,788

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SECURING CLOSURE CAPS TO CONTAINERS Filed July18. 1966 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR 5090/15 256% BY ATTORNEY 6SheetsSheet 4 E. GRECK METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SECURING CLOSURE CAPS TOCONTAINERS Nov. 5, 1968 Filed July 18, 1966 Nov. 5, 1968 E. GRECK3,408,788

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SECURING CLOSURE CAPS TO CONTAINERS Filed July18, 1966 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 I l 567 I 76 7f agar? INVENTOR ATTORNEY Nov.5, 1968 E. GRECK 3,408,788

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SECURING CLOSURE CAPS TO CONTAINERS Filed July18, 1966 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTOR EU9ENE yank ATTORNEY tates Thisinvention relates to a method and apparatus for applying closure caps tocontainers and is particularly concerned with the automated applicationof closure caps to relatively large containers.

A need has arisen for a cap applying arrangement which can be integratedin a fully automatic container filling line, such containers fallinggenerally in the one gallon and larger size .range. Although high speedrotary capping operations are common, particularly in conjunction withsmaller containers, the apparatus required therefor is far too costlyand complex for use in a slower in line operation for which the methodand apparatus of the invention are particularly adapted' A more specificproblem overcome by the method and apparatus of this invention is thatof accurately maintaining the unsecured cap in place on the containerneck from the time it is loosely placed thereon by the cap supplyrelease mechanism until the final securing of the cap to the containerneck is effected. The forces due primarily to sloshing or eifervesenceof the contained liquid, tending to dislodge the cap during thisinterval must be counteracted. The intermittent type operation employedby the invention further accentuates this problem in that the conveyedcontainers must come to a stop while the permanent securing of the capto the container neck by a stationary securing device is carried out. Itis essential that accurate control of the cap be maintained during thisinterval.

It is accordingly an object of this invention to provide a new andimproved method for securing closure caps to containers.

Another object is to provide a new and improved apparatus for carryingout that method.

A further object is to provide an improved method and apparatus for theautomated in line securing of closure caps to containers.

A more detailed object is to provide an improved method and apparatusfor controlling the movement of caps during application and securementthereof to containers.

Further and more detailed objects of the invention will in part beobvious and in part pointed out as the description of the invention,taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing proceeds.

In that drawing:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the cap applying apparatus in accordancewith the invention and for carrying out the method thereof;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1 and looking inthe direction of the arrows with parts broken away for clarity;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing the apparatus in crimpingposition and with further parts broken away'for clarity;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 2 and looking inthe direction of the arrows;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 55 of FIG. 4 and looking in thedirection of the arrows; and

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 showing the apparatus in crimpingposition.

The overall structure embodied in the apparatus of the invention, asseen in FIG. 1, comprises four upright sup- 3,408,788 Patented Nov. 5,1968 porting legs 1, 2, 3 and 4 each having-secured thereto a bearingjournal for supporting a pair of cross shafts 6 and 7 and connected attheir upper ends on either shaft side by two supporting plates 8 and 9.Mounted on shaft 6 is an idler pulley 10 and on shaft 7 a drive pulley11 for imparting movement to a flat conveyor belt 12 which is supportedintermediate the pulleys 10 and 11 by a stationary guide plate 13underlying the .upper reach of belt 12. Operatively connected to thedrive pulley 11 is an electric clutch 14 driven by motor 15 through adrive chain 16. A photo cell 100 and light source 100a therefor arepositioned adjacent the front ends of the supporting plates -8, and 9and operatively connected to the electric clutch 14 so as to function ina manner more fully described hereinafter.

Secured to each of the supporting plates 8 and 9 are a pair of uprightmembers 17, 18 and 19, 20 respectively connected at their upper ends bytop plate 21. Mounted above the top plate 21 is a double acting aircylinder 22 also activated by the photo cell 100 and having air supplylines 23 and 24. A vertical shaft 25 driven by air cylinder 22 extendsdownwardly therefrom and terminates in a collar 26 formed at the upperend of a crimping head 27. Centrally positioned inside the head 27, asseen in FIG. 3, is a hollow sleeve 28 provided with an upper chamber 29and an enlarged lower chamber 30 terminating at its lower end in a capreceiving nest 30a and separated from the chamber 29 by an aperturedpartition 28a. A cap hold down member 31 is slideably housed Withinchamber 30 and connected to a rod 32 extending through the partition 28ainto the upper cham ber 29 and terminating at its upper end in anenlarged disc 33. The cap hold down member is urged to a verticallydownwardly extended position as seen in FIG. 4 by a coil spring 34housed within the chamber 29. Surrounding the sleeve 28 is a supportingmember 35 about which depends a plurality of annularly arranged crimpingjaws 36 each of which is provided with a sealing anvil 37. As seen inFIGS. 3 and 4 the lower inner end portion 27b of the crimping headhousing 27a cams the jaws radially inwardly upon axial downwarddisplacement of the housing 27 relative to the jaws 36.

A horizontally disposed two piece bracket 38 is clampingly engaged, bymeans of bolts 39, about the shaft 25 at one end and at its other end toa vertical cam pin 40 having a conical camming surface 41 at itslowermost end. A flat plate 42 is secured to the upright members 17 and20 and is provided with an opening 43 to allow passage of the cam pin40. Secured to the undersurface of the plate 42 is an elongated block 44having a central vertical bore therethrough for reception of a pivot pin45. A pair of scissor elements 46 and 47 are pivotally secured to thepin and extend outwardly through. a laterally extending passage 48 inthe block 44. As further seen in FIG. 4, scissor element 46 is providedwith an upper hinge collar 49 and scissor element 47 is provided with alower hinge collar 50 so that the two elements can pivot away from eachother about the pin 45. A spring 51 surrounds the lower end of pin 45and is held thereon by nut 52. This spring 51 is formed with twoupstanding arms 53 and 54 which engage the scissor elements 46 and 47respectively urging them towards their closed position. Each of thescissor elements 46, 47 is provided with a roller cam follower 55mounted on a pin 56 so that the cylindrical bearing surfaces of therollers abut where the scissors are in closed position as shown in FIG.2. A downwardly extending arm 57 is connected to the distal end of eachof the elements 46 and 57 by a screw 58. A cap retainer plate 59 is inturn secured to each arm 57 by a screw 60. Formed in each plate 59, fora purpose fully described hereinafter, is a curved cutout 61 along the 3inneredge thereof and an upwardly facing inwardly and downwardly taperedrecess 62 directly under the cap hold down member 31.

Surrounding the collar 26 of thecrimping head 27 is an eldngated plate63 extending't'ransversely of the conveyor 12;:A earn block 64 issecured to each 'end of the plate 63fhaving a downwardly and inwardlyfacing camming surface 65 A hearing block '66 is secured by screws 67 fothe upper surface of each supporting; plate 8 between the uprights 17,18 and 19, respectively. A slidevvay '68 having aninverted T-sha'pedcross sectional configuration asviewed lin FIG. '1, is formed in block66 for reception of a shuttle member 69. A container neck locatin'garm70 is'pivotally secured by pin 71 to the inner end of each shuttlemember 69 and normally forms a horizontal continuation of that memberb'utfas seen in FlGljllmay pivot upwardly to accommodate an oversize orelevated container if necessary. At the leading end of each arm 70 is a'V-shapedcontainer neck engaging cutout72.1

1 Secured to the upper surface of each shuttle member 69 so as to extendupwardly out of the T-shaped slideway 68 is a foot 73 provided at itsupper end with a cam follower roller 74 rotatably mounted on pin 75.Looking at FIG. 2, it can be seen that as the crimping head 27 and plate63 move downwardly the cam surfaces 65 on blocks 64 contact the rollers74 causing the arms 70 to move inwardly. A guide block 76 having avertical channel shaped slideway 77 is secured by screws 78 on top oftheouter end of each bearing block 66. Rearward biasing of the shuttlemember 69 is effected by a spring 79 secured at one end to an upstandingpin 80 in the rear end of the shuttle member 69 and secured at the otherend to a pin 81 extending upwardly from the distal end of an arm 82secured by screws 83 to supporting plates 8 and 9 respectively.

As clearly seen in FIG. 4, the closure cap here being applied isindicated by numeral 84 and generally comprises a cup shaped bodyportion having a fiat panel 85 surrounded by a depending skirt 86. Anannular gasket 87 of suitable resilient gasket material is provided atthe juncture of the top 85 and skirt 86. Extending away from the freeedge of the skirt is a tearing ear 88. It is to be noted, however, thatthe method and apparatus of the invention are not limited in any way tothis particular closure cap since other and dilferent closures couldjust as well be applied in accordance with the invention. The caps 84are fed open face down and ear trailing along a cap feed chute 89secured by screws 90 to plate 42 and which, except for the bottom slot91 through which the cap ear 88 projects, forms a closed conduit. Agravity actuated detent 92 is pivotally mounted at 93 adjacent the lowermost end of the feed chute 89 and acts to push the cap leading portiondownwardly into positive locking engagement with the container neck.Also provided at the lower end of the chute 89 is a pair of springbuttons 89a, one at either side of the chute which lightly pinch the capskirt therebetween and prevent the cap from falling out under theinfluence of gravity alone. A container neck guide member 94 is securedthrough bracket 95 and screws 96 to each side of the chute 89 so as todepend therebelow and form a channel into which the container necks aredirected for reception of the cap 84.

Considering now the overall method of operation of the above describedapparatus it can be seen that the cap 84 is here shown, for the purposeof illustration only the influence of the conveyor 12 the neck 98 isdirected between the guide members 94 and accurately centered inalignment with the chute 89. As the container continues its travel theneck lip 99 engages the inner surface of the cap skirt 86 and pulls thecap through the spring buttons 89a. The detent 92, which has tilted thecap down to assure positive engagement by the lip 99, is then pivotedupwardly as the container pulls the cap out of the chute and the capbecomes positioned on the lip 99. It is at this stage, after the cap isplaced on the container neck and before the permanent securing of thecap is effected, that accurate control and retention of the cap isimportant. Provision for such control is particularly necessary in thosecontainer capping operations where the filling liquid has a tendency toeflervesce and, in a sense, blow the cap off.

In order to prevent such blow off or partial dislodgement of the capsfrom the container neck, the cap loose- 1y seated on the lip 99 movesunderneath the lower bearing surface of the closed cap retainer plates59 and is thus limitedto very slight vertical movement until the finalcrimping position is reached. At that position the leading edge of thecontainer 97 is sensed by the photo cell 100 causing the electric clutch14 to disengage thereby stopping the conveyor 12. Simultaneously withthe disengagement of clutch 14 the photo cell circuit also activates thedouble acting air cylinder 22 causing the shaft 25 to descend carryingwith it the crimping head 27, the cam blocks 64 and the cam pin 40. Asthe cam surfaces move downwardly the cam rollers 74 move inwardlycausing the locating arms to converge on opposite sides of the containerneck 98 and accurately center the same in axial alignment with the caphold down member 31. Normally the arms 70 will remain in their straighthorizontally extended position during this movement, however should thetop surface of the container become elevated for any reason the armswill simply pivot upwardly about pins 71 to accommodate that heightvariation. As the shaft 25 continues its downward movement the cap holddown member 31 extends into the tapered recess 62 in the cap retainerplates 59. At the same time the cam surface 41 of pin 40 contacts therollers 55 forcing the plates 59 to swing open. The hold down member 31then extends between the plates 59 and contacts the cap top 85 andpartially compressing the cap gasket 87 under the pressure of spring 34as downward movement of the crimping head continues. At this point thelocating arms 70 have reached the limit of their inward travel so thatthe cutouts 72 firmly and accurately position the container neck inaxial alignment with the cap receiving nest 30a and, as seen in FIG. 3,the roller 74 leaves the cam surface and moves up along the inner edgeof the block 64. When the cam surface 41 of pin 40 moves downwardly pastthe axis of the rollers 55 the plates become fully opened and, as seenin FIG. 6, the cutout sections 61 allow the crimping head to passtherebetween so that the nest 30a seats upon the cap 84 and fullycompresses the cap gasket 87. In the final increment of downwardmovement the crimping head housing 27a moves relative to the rest of thecrimping mechanism causing the jaws 36 to be pivoted radially inwardlydue to the camming action imparted by the portion 2711. This actionforces the sealing anvils 37 in and not in a limiting sense, as beingapplied to a cylindrii cal keg-like container 97 provided with anupstanding, otf center neck 98 which terminates at its upper capreceiving end in an enlarged lip 99. The containers 97 are preferablyfed on a transfer conveyor from the container filler (not shown) so asto ride right on to the about the cap skirt 86 forming the skirt intight sealing engagement with the under surface of the container necklip 99.

Upon completion of the downstroke the other side of the piston of doubleacting cylinder 22 is automatically activated and the above describedmovements are reversed. Upward travel of the cam surface 41 allows theretainer plates to close again under the influence of spring 51.Similarly the locating arms 70 are returned to their initial retractedposition by the spring 79 as the roller 74 moves back along the camsurface 65. At the termination of the-return stroke the apparatus isautomatically recycled commencing with the engagement of electric clutch14 which causes the conveyor to move the capped container out of sealingposition and onto an exit transfer conveyor (not shown) at the same timethe next container picks up a cap 84 and moves into sealing positionwhere the crimping cycle is repeated.

Changes in and modifications of the construction and difierentembodiments of the invention as might suggest themselves to thoseskilled in the art could be made without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention. It is accordingly intended that all mattercontained in the above description, or shown in the accompanying drawingshall be interpreted as being illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

1. In container capping apparatus, a cap applying station for looselyplacing caps over container neck openin gs, a cap securing station forsealing caps to container necks, a conveyor for transporting containersfrom said cap applying station to said cap securing station, capretainer means extending from said cap applying station into said capsecuring station for holding an unsecured cap in place on a containerneck during said transporting and means for releasing the cap from saidretainer means at said cap securing station to enable said securing tobe eifected.

2. In container capping apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said capretainer means includes a flat bearing surface in overlying relationshipwith respect to said container neck at said securing station.

3. In container capping apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said capretainer means includes a pair of laterally displaceable members inoverlying relationship with respect to said container neck at saidsecuring station.

4. In container capping apparatus as in claim 1, and including containerneck locating means for properly centering said container neck withinsaid securing station.

5. In container capping apparatus as in claim 1, and including meansoperatively connected with said conveyor for stopping a container atsaid cap securing station while said securing is elfected.

6. In container capping apparatus an axially moveable cap securing headfor sealing caps to container necks positioned axially below said head,cap retainer means positioned in overlying relationship with respect tosaid container neck and in the axial path of said cap securing head, andmeans responsive to the axial movement of said cap securing head fordisplacing said cap retainer means out of the path of said cap securinghead to enable said securing to be effected.

7. In container capping apparatus as in claim 6, said cap securing headincluding an axially disposed mounting member and a plurality ofcircumferentially arranged sealing members operatively connected to saidmounting member.

8. In container capping apparatus as in claim 7, and including adownwardly spring biased cap hold down member extending axially fromsaid support member to a position spaced below said sealing members.

9. In container capping apparatus as in claim 6, said cap retainer meansincluding a pair of elongated parallel plates pivotally interconnectedadjacent one end remote from said cap securing head.

10. In container capping apparatus as in claim 6, and includingcontainer neck locating means responsive to the axial movement of saidcap securing head for properly centering said container neck in axialalignment with said securing head.

11. The method of capping containers comprising loosely placing aclosure cap over the opening of a container neck at a cap applyingstation, conveying the con tainer and loosely applied cap to a capsecuring station, restraining said cap against dislodgement from saidcontainer neck during said conveying, releasing said cap after saidcontainer has fully reached said securing station and securing saidclosure cap onto said container neck.

12. The method of capping containers as in claim 11, and terminatingsaid conveying while said securing is efiected.

13. The method of capping containers as in claim 11, and centering saidcontainer neck at said securing station so that said securing isproperly and accurately effected.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,912,677 6/1933 Williams 53-367X 3,071,909 1/1963 Elleman 53-315 3,075,331 1/1963 Stanley 53-348WILLIAM W. DYER, IR., Primary Examiner. R. L. FARRIS, AssistantExaminer.

11. THE METHOD OF CAPPING CONTAINERS COMPRISING LOOSELY PLACING ACLOSURE CAP OVER THE OPENING OF A CONTAINER NECK AT A CAP APPLYINGSTATION, CONVEYING THE CONTAINER AND LOOSELY APPLIED CAP TO A CAPSECURING STATION, RESTRAINING SAID CAP AGAINST DISLODGEMENT FROM SAIDCONTAINER NECK DURING SAID CONVEYING, RELEASING SAID CAP AFTER SAIDCONTAINER HAS FULLY REACHED SAID SECURING STATION AND SECURING SAIDCLOSURE CAP ONTO SAID CONTAINER NECK.